Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Republic of China Trainee (4)

A person’s self-esteem is a very strange thing; the more it is lacking, the more desperately they try to prove they have it. The reverse is also true. The moment these words entered Yu Manyi’s ears, she suddenly understood the real reason her cousin had distanced himself from her:

It was precisely because he wasn’t that progressive that he urgently severed all ties with his hometown and, without hesitation, pushed Yu Manyi into the storm.

She had once felt a little fond of her cousin, but after he broke off their engagement, all that remained was a small amount of resentment. He was a man hidden behind the Yu family. They were truly a layered web of concealment—her third uncle hidden behind her third aunt, the old master hidden behind her third uncle, and her cousin hidden behind the old master, leaving all the bitter love and hate between Yu Manyi and the Yu family.

Yu Manyi had burned the complex love and hate with the Yu family with fire. Now, even the resentment she felt towards her cousin had disappeared. It was hard for a person to hate someone they looked down upon. She no longer thought it was he who had abandoned her; between them, there was no talk of abandonment. Instead, he had given her a reason to break free from the shackles. It was quite good, and her cousin’s breaking off the engagement with her would become his greatest contribution to society.

Yu Manyi snapped back to reality and heard Song Qi still immersed in his assumptions:

“…But if they go and verify with my other relatives, I haven’t formally betrothed myself. Could there be any loopholes? Maybe it’s better if you’re just a complete stranger. Making a fake tenant contract wouldn’t hurt…”

"Weren’t you so adamant before about not letting me stay at your place?" Yu Manyi couldn’t help but ask.

"Weren’t you the one begging me to let you stay downstairs?" Song Qi responded without hesitation.

His thoughts were so quick! Yu Manyi immediately denied it, "I didn’t beg you!"

"The doorman can testify," Song Qi said. "I have to explain to Uncle Qi in a bit, it’s as if I’ve abandoned you. A man as pure as I am…"

What does abandonment even mean? What… "Uncle Qi?"

"The old doorman on the first floor."

Were all the doormen in this world named Qi? Yu Manyi felt a headache coming on, and what was even worse was that, indeed, she had no other place to go now—Fang Qian had yet to find a place to stay, and her passport only existed in her plans. She was still Yu Manyi, and every hostel on the street was a trap for her.

"But this isn’t a long-term solution," Song Qi teased her, then returned to his usual tone. "You saw it last time too, the police can show up anytime. Once Liu Fengyan’s people leave Shanghai, I’ll help you find a safe place."

This time, he even took the initiative to mention the police. It seemed that after deciding to let her stay temporarily, Song Qi had eased up about his own situation. Yu Manyi hesitated for a moment, then cautiously asked:

"Song Qi, what exactly are those police looking for? Is it really just about the newspaper?"

Song Qi maintained a relaxed expression. He looked at Yu Manyi, then subtly replied with a question:

"Did you really just run away from the Yu family?"

He noticed something was off, but he didn’t press further. He was implying that Yu Manyi shouldn’t ask either. Her fingers, still holding the glass, began to twitch again.

Song Qi’s gaze shifted from her face to the glass, and he took it from her hand. Yu Manyi’s hand fell back to her knee.

"Where’s your luggage? Let me take a look."

Yu Manyi felt that her previous question had been too impulsive, and Song Qi’s counter-question made her feel like a snail shocked by electricity. She didn’t know what to say, so she just methodically spread out her belongings on the table for him to inspect.

"This is your diploma?"

This was the first time Song Qi saw her diploma. Since it involved his efforts, he carefully read every word on it and affirmed, "Not bad."He put away Yu Manyi’s diploma and the registration form for the Commercial Press; these two items were necessary when he helped her sign up. Next was the notebook from the textile factory given to her by the person in the neighboring bed. As soon as he picked it up, Yu Manyi snatched it away, saying, "You can’t look at this."

Song Qi raised both hands in surrender, then reached for her purse. The owner of the fabric shop had sewn it for her, with delicate white osmanthus stitches.

Song Qi weighed the purse in his hand and then handed it back to her. He didn’t comment directly on Yu Manyi’s financial situation, only saying, "Your courage is commendable."

...This was infuriating.

At the very bottom was the pair of clothes resembling mandarin ducks. Yu Manyi was wearing a student uniform today. Both pieces of clothing were worn out from frequent washing and use, the fabric had thinned. Yu Manyi feared he would say something like "Is this really something a person should wear?" If he did, she would definitely snap and willingly go downstairs to be taken away by Liu Fengyan.

However, Song Qi just stared at the clothes thoughtfully for a moment and said, "It’s too out of place for a foreign student to wear something like this. The police would spot it right away."

"Then I’ll make something like Fang Qian did last time," Yu Manyi said, feeling tempted to do some tailoring. "Could I use your curtain?"

Song Qi: ...

The pattern on his curtain really was European, and making a dress out of it wouldn’t be out of place. However, he decisively refused, saying, "I’m going out tonight anyway. Let me take you to buy a new one."

"I can’t afford it. I can use the curtain..."

"I can afford it. Please, don’t use my curtain."

Yu Manyi and Song Qi sneaked out under the cover of night, looking quite suspicious. Yu Manyi was really sneaky, sitting in the rickshaw with her headscarf covering her face, vigilantly watching the streets to see if there were any of Liu Fengyan’s people around. Song Qi, with his arms crossed, closed his eyes to rest, but he occasionally lifted his head to glance around.

He took her to a street near Lu Yueting’s art studio. It was on this street that Yu Manyi first saw people drinking coffee, heard Western music for the first time, and also saw a Western-style dress displayed in a shop window.Song Qi, upon hearing this, directly sent Yu Manyi into the clothing store. The store was almost closing, but they still had a customer. Since it seemed the two were genuinely planning to make a purchase, the shop assistant welcomed them warmly.

Yu Manyi had expected Song Qi to help her plan out her purchase, but he wasn’t very interested in accompanying a woman to buy clothes. When she came out of the fitting room after trying on the third outfit, Song Qi had already disappeared.

"Miss, the gentleman said if you find something you like, just choose it. He’ll come back to pay later," the shop assistant said.

"Where did he go?"

"I'm not sure."

Yu Manyi felt a little disappointed, but this wasn’t really Song Qi’s responsibility. He had already done a lot more than was expected of him. She pressed her lips together, glanced at herself in the mirror for a moment, and then asked the shop assistant:

"I don’t think any of these are quite right. Do you have a white one, with a row of shell-white buttons on the chest and cross patterns on the fabric…?"

The shop assistant listened to her describe the outfit for a while, then finally reacted, "That’s last year’s design."

"Yes, I saw it in your window last year."

"Let me go look for it. I think we still have a set left. But these clothes change with the season, and that style isn’t in fashion anymore. Miss, are you sure…?"

"It’s fine," Yu Manyi said instinctively. "I’m not really into trendy things. Wearing fashionable clothes always feels a bit odd."

"Fashion is for clothes, Miss, how could you apply it to a person?" the shop assistant replied. "People aren’t inanimate objects. We say in our workers’ night school… oh, ke ri xin, ri ri xin (renew every day). I’ll go get your clothes."

Shanghai really is advanced, even the clothing store assistants can say things like that. The wisdom of the working people is so simple yet full of truth. Before, there was the rickshaw driver in Shaoxing summarizing the change of officials at the prime minister’s tomb, and today, a clothing store assistant was teaching Yu Manyi night school knowledge.

But what exactly is this workers’ night school? Is it like a correspondence school?Yu Manyi wanted to ask Song Qi, but he hadn’t returned yet. She sat on the sofa, waiting for the shop assistant to bring the clothes back. The moment she put it on, she received praise—though it could just be because the assistant was eager to finish for the day. Still, Yu Manyi herself thought that this outfit was much more flattering than the previous ones.

"Then I’ll take this one," she said.

She changed out of the outfit and asked the shop assistant to pack it up. Since Song Qi still hadn’t returned, she told the shop assistant she wanted to go to the bookstore next door.

The bookstore was also about to close. She quickly picked out a few art textbooks, hoping to cram for the exam at the Commercial Press in the few days before it started. She wanted to improve her aesthetic as much as possible, not wanting her taste to remain so archaic. The books were all color-printed and cost her one yuan and three mao.

Tsk, knowledge is expensive.

Yu Manyi hugged the books and walked back toward the clothing store. As she entered, she suddenly felt someone walking behind her. Her mind was still preoccupied with Liu Fengyan’s shadow, and she turned around in panic, only to see, at the end of the empty street, two men’s shadows pass by. One of them was clearly Song Qi.

She couldn’t hear their voices, but she saw Song Qi hand something to the other person. When Song Qi noticed her standing in front of the store, he quickly returned, sitting on the sofa with her, holding a package of books and the clothes the assistant had packed.

She sat silently, waiting for him to open the door of the store. He exchanged a few words with the assistant, then put his arm around her shoulders and led her out. The rickshaw had already been called, and they got into it together. He didn’t pay much attention to the fact that she was still holding the newly bought books and didn’t ask about it.

So, she didn’t ask either. She was afraid her snail-like antennae would be shocked again. The fact that her cousin broke off their engagement still left some marks on her. Before, she was only afraid of physical pain, but now, she feared emotional pain as well. Because she feared the pain, she simply chose to pretend she didn’t know and avoided it.

They arrived at the apartment, but Yu Manyi wasn’t quite ready to share a room with Song Qi again. This time felt different from when they had stayed together in the alley.

However, she jumped out of the rickshaw, and when she turned back, Song Qi hadn’t gotten out. He waved at Uncle Qi, who was standing at the door, and said, "Thanks for sending her up. You know where my key is."

Uncle Qi immediately came over to take Yu Manyi, and Song Qi leaned slightly toward her, saying, "I have some urgent matters. I’ll bring you some toiletries tomorrow morning. Don’t go out casually, understand?"

"I understand," Yu Manyi mustered her courage and said, "Then, could you come back earlier? I can wait for you to return before going to sleep."

"I’m afraid that’s not possible," Song Qi replied.The night was foggy, just like when Yu Manyi left the Yu family. She watched his rickshaw disappear into the mist, and Uncle Qi's voice, too, was faint and blurred by the fog: "Miss, come, let me teach you how to use the elevator."

She could only go back holding the books and clothes.

This time, Song Qi didn’t teach her how to use the many electrical appliances in the new home. Yu Manyi searched around the house for a long time before finally finding the flashlight. She turned the switch on and off, and the light flickered. It was the only thing she was familiar with, the flickering stars she had seen over the canal.

She placed the flashlight upside down on the table and opened the notebook from the textile factory. On a new page, with horizontal lines, she wrote:

Bought books, one yuan and three mao.

Spare money, fourteen yuan.

Debt, Song Qi, skirt, eighteen yuan.

This dress was too expensive. She hadn’t expected it when she picked it out. Last year’s outdated design still cost this much. If she had known, she wouldn’t have bought it. She didn’t even ask another question.

Yu Manyi rubbed her eyes and continued writing at the back:

Top-tier calendar, manuscript fee 400 per page.

Commercial Press intern stipend, fifteen yuan per month.

It seemed she really had to pass this exam.